First week on the job....
Mar. 18th, 2009 12:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brendalaWell, I started my new job on Monday and so far so good. I'm working with a non-profit group that fixes up elementary school playgrounds in low-income neighborhoods by picking up trash, working in the little gardens, removing graffiti, painting, etc. etc.
Today I got to supervise a small group of children while they picked up litter on the sidewalk outside their school playground. I had a REALLY awkward moment when a cute, innocent little 8-year-old girl found a nasty used condom on the ground. Obviously, I told her not to touch it and she naturally responded, "Why can't I touch it? What is it?"
.....yeah. So I tried to explain why she shouldn't touch it without killing her innocence. The conversation went something like this:
-Me: DON'T TOUCH THAT!
-Kid: Why?
-Me: uhhh...
-Kid: What is it?
-Me: Umm, you just don't wanna touch it!
-Kid: It looks like a balloon. Is it a balloon?
-Me: It's not a balloon. And you shouldn't touch it because it probably has a disease.
-Kid: How do you know it has a disease? What is it? And why is it all wet?
-Me: Oh, dear God...
-Older, less innocent kids: *giggle* *giggle*
In the end I had to settle for the, "Because I'm an adult and I said so!" argument. And it didn't help that some of the older kids were giggling behind my back as I fumbled with an explanation. :P
This story should make me laugh. But I just keep depressing myself by wondering how that disgusting thing wound up in front of an elementary school of all places. What kind of sick pervert would leave it there?!
On a more positive (and less disgusting) note, other than that awkward incident, the day went very well. I didn't have any communication issues with the children. And they were all eager to do the litter clean up. It's been so long since I've been around little kids that I had almost forgotten how fun they are to be around. :)
Today I got to supervise a small group of children while they picked up litter on the sidewalk outside their school playground. I had a REALLY awkward moment when a cute, innocent little 8-year-old girl found a nasty used condom on the ground. Obviously, I told her not to touch it and she naturally responded, "Why can't I touch it? What is it?"
.....yeah. So I tried to explain why she shouldn't touch it without killing her innocence. The conversation went something like this:
-Me: DON'T TOUCH THAT!
-Kid: Why?
-Me: uhhh...
-Kid: What is it?
-Me: Umm, you just don't wanna touch it!
-Kid: It looks like a balloon. Is it a balloon?
-Me: It's not a balloon. And you shouldn't touch it because it probably has a disease.
-Kid: How do you know it has a disease? What is it? And why is it all wet?
-Me: Oh, dear God...
-Older, less innocent kids: *giggle* *giggle*
In the end I had to settle for the, "Because I'm an adult and I said so!" argument. And it didn't help that some of the older kids were giggling behind my back as I fumbled with an explanation. :P
This story should make me laugh. But I just keep depressing myself by wondering how that disgusting thing wound up in front of an elementary school of all places. What kind of sick pervert would leave it there?!
On a more positive (and less disgusting) note, other than that awkward incident, the day went very well. I didn't have any communication issues with the children. And they were all eager to do the litter clean up. It's been so long since I've been around little kids that I had almost forgotten how fun they are to be around. :)
